Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs with St. Paul's Lutheran School's Gracie Moody, who won first place in her school's Arbor Day poster contest in February 2017 / Tribune file photo
CULLMAN – For the 30th consecutive year, the city of Cullman has earned recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA in honor of its commitment to effective urban forest management.
“Tree City USA communities see the impact an urban forest has in a community first hand,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Additionally, recognition brings residents together and creates a sense of community pride, whether it’s through volunteer engagement or public education.”
Trees provide multiple benefits to a community when properly planted and maintained. They help to improve the visual appeal of a neighborhood, increase property values, reduce home cooling costs, remove air pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat, among many other benefits.
“Trees are very important to cities,” said Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs. “Trees improve air quality and reduce air pollution, provide shade which reduces temperatures, slow soil erosion and storm water runoff, and help absorb sound which reduces noise pollution. The planned Greenway project and the almost-completed Connected Park project will create more tree-lined parks and trails throughout Cullman’s downtown area, which will provide even greater benefits to the City and will also create a more peaceful, aesthetically-pleasing environment.”
Cullman achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements:
(1) A tree board or department. Cullman’s Tree Commission is comprised of seven (7) members and meets at 10 a.m. on the third Tuesday of every even-numbered month at city hall. Cullman also has a part-time city arborist, Darrell Johns. The city arborist and the Tree Commission work together to develop an orderly process for identifying public tree needs including maintenance, removal, planting, replacement and public education.
(2) A tree care ordinance. The City of Cullman’s Urban Forestry Ordinance is Ordinance #1343.
(3) An annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita. Cullman’s per capita expense for community forestry is $96.50 per person.
(4) An Arbor Day observance and proclamation. Each year in February, the mayor issues an Arbor Day proclamation. The Tree Commission, Cullman County Extension Office, and the Alabama Forestry Service also conduct related events in Cullman including a tree sale, Arbor Day Poster Contest for area fifth-grade students, and a Tree City flag-raising ceremony.
This year’s annual Arbor Day Tree Sale is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018, from 8 a.m. until noon (or until all trees are gone) at the Cullman County Extension Office, 402 Arnold St. NE (across from the Folsom Center). Small ornamental trees and flowering shrubs will be available for $2 each. All proceeds will go toward the Forestry Awareness Week Now (FAWN) school program for all sixth graders, and the FFA forestry judging contest.
The Tree City flag raising ceremony is also scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018, at 10 a.m. on the front lawn of Cullman City Hall. At this ceremony, the Arbor Day Poster Contest winners from each school will be recognized.
The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. For more information on the Arbor Day Foundation, visit www.arborday.org. For more information on the Tree City USA program, visit www.arborday.org/TreeCityUSA.
